BELLINGHAM, Wash. – The Western Washington University men's basketball team dropped its home opener Friday falling to the University of Colorado Colorado Springs 85-81 on WECU Court in Carver Gym.
WWU was led by a career-high 33 points from junior guard Nehemiah Pollard, who recorded several thunderous dunks while going 14-for-21 from the field.
The Vikings led by as many as 13 points early in the first half and held a 42-40 halftime lead. The Mountain Lions out-scored the Vikings 45-39 in the second half to record the come-from-behind victory improving to 3-2 on the season. Western dropped its third consecutive game to drop to 3-5 in non-conference play.
WWU was bitten by the turnover bug, recording a season-high 23 turnovers leading to 28 points for UCCS, with 15 turnovers coming in the second half.
The Vikings connected on 33-of-62 shots for a season-best 53.2 field goal percentage and held a 40-28 advantage in rebounding.
Pollard added a game-high 11 rebounds to record the double-double. Junior guard Malachi Miller had 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting with four three-pointers, junior forward Louis Grante-Halliday tallied nine points on 4-for-6 shooting and freshman Dennis Johnson III contributed nine points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals in 28 minutes.
UCCS (3-2) featured five players scoring in double-digits, led by 15 points and eight assists by guard Xavier Martinez and 13 points on perfect 5-for-5 shooting by Tre Lucia (3-for-3 3FG). The Mountain Lions shot a season-best 49.2-percent from the field (31-63 FG, 9-18 3FG).
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NCAA Basketball
|
1st
|
2nd
|
Final
|
|
UCCS (3-2)
|
40
|
45
|
85
|
|
Western Washington (3-5)
|
42
|
39
|
81
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The Vikings (3-5) return to action next week opening Great Northwest Athletic Conference play hosting Northwest Nazarene (Dec. 4, 7 pm) and rival Central Washington (Dec. 6, 5 pm) on WECU Court in Carver Gym. The complete 2025-26 WWU men's basketball schedule is available online at WWUVikings.com, complete with links to follow the team on the road, updated statistics and team information.
Here is a look at the statistical comparison between WWU and UCCS:
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COMPARISON
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WWU
|
UCCS
|
|
Points
|
81
|
85
|
|
Field Goal Pct.
|
.532 (33-62)
|
.492 (31-63)
|
|
3 Point FG Pct.
|
.333 (8-24)
|
.500 (9-18)
|
|
Free Throw Pct.
|
.778 (7-9)
|
.560 (14-25)
|
|
Rebounds
|
40
|
28
|
|
Offensive Rebounds
|
11
|
10
|
|
Assists
|
16
|
17
|
|
Turnovers
|
23
|
14
|
|
Steals
|
10
|
10
|
|
Blocked Shots
|
6
|
3
|
|
Time Led
|
23:19
|
13:51
|
|
Points off Turnovers
|
15
|
28
|
|
Points in the Paint
|
42
|
42
|
|
Bench Points
|
29
|
34
|
|
Fouls
|
21
|
13
|
|
Biggest Lead
|
13
|
7
|
|
Lead Changes: 5 Times Tied: 4
|
Here is a look at the Vikings record breakdown for the 2025-26 season:
|
RECORD BREAKDOWN
|
|
Overall
|
3-5
|
|
GNAC
|
0-0
|
|
Non-Conference
|
3-5
|
|
Streak
|
L3
|
|
Home
|
0-1
|
|
Away
|
0-2
|
|
Neutral
|
3-2
|
|
vs. Ranked Teams
|
0-0
|
|
Leading at Half
|
3-2
|
|
Trailing at Half
|
0-3
|
|
Tied at Half
|
0-0
|
|
Overtime
|
0-0
|
|
BY UNIFORM
|
|
White
|
1-3
|
|
Black
|
1-1
|
|
Navy
|
1-1
|
|
Light Blue
|
0-0
|
